Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-07-01
MURDER AFTERMATH

That portion Of our edition Of last week
which was circulated in Brnttlcborn con
tanned record Of the fact that the funeral
Of John Sugland. the negro murderer and
suicide, was held Friday afternoon nj $3.50
in room in the town hall building The
Rev. Mr.. lllmnn Of the Universaist church
delivered short address and offered pray
err, aud the body was taken to Vernon for
burinl accompanied 10y the family of the
dead man aud four colored men as pail
bearers.
Facts which have come 10 light since last
Friday leave small doubt that Sugland
murdered Addie Burt ON Monday night
June IL, six days before the body was found
in the river The wife and daughter do
not talk about the matter. Mrs Suplaud
only saying that she thought she got ont
Of the job pretty well but the boy John
has told Mr.. White and others facts which
show beyond reasonable doubt that tho
murder was done at the time named He
says that on sunday, the 9TH and Monday
the 18th. there was whiskey in the house
and his father, mother aud the Burt girl
were well set up with 1t. They had several
rows and fights Monday afternoon the
Burt girl drew long club on hi. mother
aud would have struck her had not his sis
ter seized the club and pulled it away. just
at night they had the row mentioned last
week, when Suglnnd hit the Burt girl and
tumbled her over. She was mad and drunk.
aud changed her clothes and started off
coming by the highway. About half an
hour after, John says hi, father took hi.
big dirk knife and started of coming down
the railroad track. His remark a. he left
the house was that he was going 10 take a
walk for his health He did not get back.
according to the story Of Mrs Sugland and
the girl until after > O'Clock IN the morn
ing, when he told them that if nnybody
came and asked any questions they we're b.
say that he went TO bed at O'Clock and wa.
III bed all night. OF this John says he only
knows what his mother and sister told him.
The probabilities are that Sugland came
rapidly down the railroad track and crossed
over and headed of the girl on the high,yay
at some point, most probably by the pent
road leading past the old saw mill out to
W ante = house just where the murder was
done will probably never be known. but un-
less he killed the girl when he met her ON
the highway, he undoubtedly did the deed
on or near the railroad opposite Mr. Wuites.
neither he made the wound on her head
with his knife, or whether he struck her
with some weapon Ike a fish plate or SINH
lar piece Of iron picked up los the track. d,
largely matter Of conjecture. The sur
land women undoubtedly know more of the
facts than they have told He unquestion-
ably hid the body IN the woods bv the brook
that runs through the deep ravine at that
place, or nearer the river and he did not
put IT IN the river until Saturday evening
after telling Jake to look out for il ON
TINS theory, hich the story Of the Sugland,
cunvlnres Mr. Waite the seectmeu and
the lawyers is the true one. the screams
heard on Thursday night were made by
some other person than the girl. and the
parties whothouslt they saw heron Wcdnes
dat or thursday were simply mistaken IA
Z" the time Or the person.
john 0uElaud says his father was dread
iully nervous all the week after Monday.
lac was constantly listening while at work
for any unusual sound. and ran frequently
To- the top Of the hill near by t. see if any
one was coming. He would start at the
slightest sound and seize hi, axe "A, if To- de
fend himself He must hnve been think
ing all the while what he should do with
the body and undoubtedly stood in mortal
dread OF 1t. Why man of Sugland's
Shire" dnesss houd have chosen b. throw the
body INTO the river instead of burvinr il Is
difficult t. understand
Suglands wife and daughter are now in
ernpn, but are going away. they say. the
mother 10 New York aud the rirl To Ohio.
he boy Is at work for Mr. Waite.
LAST FRIDAY just at night the little Con
You boy, who is well known ON the street.
vas found with a light colored parasol i'm
ms hand, and on being questioned he said
he found 1t up in the woods. He was fl
nally persuaded to take party Of three or
four up 10 show them where he found il.
ana led them up 10 Mr. Yates and out hy
the pent road spoken of across the railroad
track and into the ravine below. telling
them he found it under some bushes at a
place which he pointed ont 1t was at first
believed that this was the Burt girl, para
sol, hut 1t does not correspond IN color or
material 10 the one which the Suglauds say
she had, and the chances are that the prom
iSlhg httle arab put up "A job" on his vii
ling victims.